Crutch.



D. B. MONROE.

GRUTGH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.27. 1914 Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

2 DB Monrbe;

THE NORRIS PETERS (30., PHOTO-LITHOU WASHINGTON. D. 4:.

DELPL'AIN B. MONROE, OF ENDICOTT, NEW YORK.

' onU'rcH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed February 27, 1914.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914. Serial No. 821,474.

To all whom it may 0011001 12 Be it known that I, DELPLAIN B. Mormon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Endicott, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crutches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to crutches such as are employed by injured or crippled persons for aiding them in walking about, and the primary object of the same is'the provision of a crutch having a cushioned or resiliently supported arm rest for absorbing the shock occasioned by compact of the crutch leg with the ground or pavement during the walking.

With the foregoing and other objects in view this invention consists in such novelfeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of refer ence designate like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in whichz- Figure 1 is a View of the improved crutch in elevation. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed sectional view of the upper end 9f the crutch showing the resilient supporting of the armrest. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail View in elevation of the arm rest. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a sleeve employed in the resilient supporting of the arm rest. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of a part of the arm rest structure, and Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of a fragment of the arm rest.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 designates the crutch as an entirety, which is of the usual construction of split crutch, having the leg thereof constructed" of a single piece of toughened wood, which is split at 2, to provide the arms 3 and 4. The foot of the leg of the crutch 1 has a rubber cushion 5 mounted thereon so as to prevent the crutch from slipping and to provide a firm contact with the ground or pavement during the walking with the crutch.

The two arms 3 and 4 of the crutch leg are held apart and braced by a handle 6, which 'ened by the plates 7,

handleextends laterally from one arm to the other, at a convenient distance from the upper end of the crutch to be gripped by the hand of the person using the same. The crutch arms 3 and 4 are braced and strengthwhich are secured thereto'adjacent the portion of the crutch arms to which the handle 6 is attached, by any suitable means such as rivets or screws The upper ends 9 of the crutch arms are braced and properly held in position by substantially U-shaped brackets 10, one of which is connected to each of the arms and extend inwardly toward each other, having their vertices secured to each other and the terminal ends of their legs secured to the crutch arms as is obvious by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings. The upper terminal ends of the arms 3 and 4 of the crutch 1 are reduced in diameter and have the enlarged ends 11 of sleeves 12 mounted thereupon which sleeves are held from rotation by pins 13.

Pins 14 are centrally mounted in the upper ends of the arms 3 and 4 and project upwardly therefrom, having coil springs 15 loosely mounted thereabout. The springs 15' are seated within the sleeves 12 and have their lower ends abutting the upper terminal ends of the arms 3 and 4, while the upper ends of the springs engage the lower ends of filling material 16 which is disposed within the sleeves 17 The sleeves 17 are slidably mounted upon the reduced ends of the sleeves 11, and are securely attached to a U-shaped supporting frame 18. The sleeves 17 have lugs 19 formed upon their upper ends, which lugs are inserted through openings 20 formed in the U-shaped support 18, and upset to securely rivet or attach the sleeves to the supporting member.

The pins 14 are provided with longitudinally extending slots 22 formed in their upper ends, in which slots are slidably seated bolts 23. The bolts 23 pass through the sleeves 17 and the filling washers 16 and prevent the rotation or rotary movement of the sleeves 17 upon the reduced portion of the sleeves 11, also forming guides for the vertical movement of the sleeves and the substantially U-shaped support 18.

The legs 23 and 24 of the substantially U- shaped support 18, which extend upwardly in alinement with the vertical longitudinal lines of the arms 3 and 4 on the crutch hi1? horizontally extending pins 25 secured thereto near their upper ends. The pins 25 have reduced shanks 26, which are provided with external screw threads. The reduced shanks 2(3 of the pins 25 are inserted through openings in the legs 23 and 24 and the pins are securely attached to the legs by means of the shanks and nuts 27 which are mounted upon the terminal ends oi the shanks 2G and hold the shoulders 28 of the pins 25 in binding engagement with the inner surface of the legs 23 and 24. The pins 26 have openings 29 extending therethrough, in which openings are seated the terminal ends of a coil spring 30. The coil spring 30 extends laterally between the legs 23 and 24 of the sup port 18 and is covered with, a double coating of leather or other similar cushioning material to prevent the coils of the wire from mutilatin g the clothes of the person who is using the crutch, as well as to prevent the coils from pinching the flesh during the downward movement of the spring owing to the pressure or weight applied thereon.

The outer coating 33 of leather is provided with ears 3 1- iormed upon its ends, which ears extend about the portions of the legs 23 and 2 1- adjacent the nuts 27 and have their terminal ends secured to the end of the covering 33 by stitching or other suitable securing means.

The coil spring 30 forms a rest for the arm of the person using the crutch, and is placed in the pit of the arm, or the under portion of the connection between the arm and the shoulder, as is obvious in the use of a crutch of this nature and being constructed of a coil spring, it will provide a resilient armrest, which will give and yield under the movement of the arm and shoulder, thereby. providing a non-irritating and comfortable rest for the arm.

By the provision of the coil springs 15, which are mounted in the sleeves 11 and 17,

further resiliency is added to the upperend of the arm resting portion of the crutch, so that the shocks occasioned by the compact of the foot of the crutch 1 with pavement or ground, during the using of the crutch will be absorbed and not imparted to the shoulder of the user.

i What is claimed is 1. In a crutch, a crutch leg having a sub stantially U-shaped support mounted upon its upper end, and a coil spring suspended between the legs of said U-shaped support and forming an arm rest for yieldable conformity to the movement of the arm of a person.

2. In a crutch, form arms, sleeves mounted upon the upper terminal ends of said arms, a substantially U-shaped support, sleeves depending from the vertex of said U-shaped member and slidably mounted upon said first named sleeves, coil springs mounted within said sleeves for resiliently supporting said U- shaped support, and a yieldable arm rest suspended between the legs of said Ushaped support for yieldable conformity to the movement of the arm of a person,

3. In a crutch, a crutch leg being split. to form arms, sleeves mounted upon the upper terminal ends of said arms, a substantially U-shaped support,csleeves depending from the head of said U-shaped support and slidably mounted upon said first named sleeves, coil springs disposed within said sleeves for resiliently supporting said U-shaped sup port, a coil spring suspended between the legs of said U-shaped support and forming a yieldable arm rest for conformity to the movement of the arm of a person, and a cover about said coil spring.

1 In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' DELPLAIN B. MONROE. Witnesses:

E. WV. ,POLLARD,

LoUIs Sonnnmnn.

00916! of thiapatcnt may be obtainedior five cents each, by addresling the Commissioner of Iacents,

Washington, D. (1."

a crutch leg being split to 

